One size does not fit all - A transdisciplinary rehab program for adhesive capsulitis: A case report

The World Health Organisation defines health as "physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Furthermore, health promotion has been described as "the process of enabling all individuals to increase their control over, and to improve their health" (WHO, 1946; 1986). Our wellness starts with good nutrition, food through the digestive system and oxygen through the respiratory system. Without proper breathing mechanisms, the brain, whose priority is to survive will unconsciously limit our ability to function properly. Adhesive capsulitis also known as 'Frozen Shoulder' affects a high number of people, with the majority found in the female population between 50 and 60 years of age. The causes are still relatively unknown; however, the effects and debilitating consequences are well known, and rehabilitative procedures can include both surgical and non-surgical interventions depending on the initial structural diagnosis. Long-periods of aggressive rehabilitative physiotherapy can be part of a program including home-exercises. This paper presents partial outcomes in a female single case report with no previous medical conditions. Following a formal adhesive capsulitis diagnosis, a therapeutic program was set out by a qualified physiotherapist following an ultrasound guided hydro-dilation steroid injection. Physiotherapy was accompanied with a home program of physical and mental exercises as part of the ongoing rehabilitation and re-acquisition of normal range of movement and their functionality. Outcomes are discussed considering the transdisciplinary nature of the intervention program followed, providing some reflective clinical reasoning on the importance of a transdisciplinary approach to the management of this condition.